| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alan Kirkup | ||
| Date of birth | 13 November 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Bedford, England | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1976 | Manchester United | 0 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1981–1982 | Eastern Illinois (graduate assistant) | ||
| 1985–1988 | SMU (men's assistant) | ||
| 1986–1995 | SMU (women) | ||
| 1996–1998 | Maryland | ||
| 1999–2003 | Arkansas | ||
| 2006–2021 | Florida (assistant/associate) | ||
| 2021 | Orlando Pride (assistant) | ||
| 2022–2024 | Lexington SC (USLW) | ||
| 2025– | Sporting JAX (associate) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alan Kirkup (born 13 November 1956) is an English-born soccer coach and former player. He is the current associate head coach for Sporting Club Jacksonville of the USL Super League.
He played four seasons for Manchester United before transitioning to a coaching career in the United States, where he has served as both a head coach and assistant coach for multiple NCAA women's soccer programs. Kirkup is recognized as the first coach in SMU Mustangs women's soccer history and accumulating 225 NCAA wins over his career.
Kirkup grew up in Bedford, England and played professionally as a defender for Manchester United from 1972 to 1976. [1] After retiring as a player, he graduated from Loughborough University in Loughborough, England with a degree in physical education and sports science in 1981.
In 1981, he moved abroad to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, where he earned a master’s degree in physical education in 1982.
While studying, Kirkup began his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Eastern Illinois Panthers men's soccer team from 1981 to 1982. [2]
He then served as an assistant coach for the SMU Mustangs men's soccer program from 1985 to 1988.
In 1986, Kirkup was hired to be the SMU women's soccer coach. He led the team for ten seasons, building the program from its inception. Under his guidance, SMU compiled a 149–52–7 record, highlighted by a 23–1–1 season in 1995, when the team won both the Southwest Conference regular season and tournament championships and reached the NCAA Final Four. [3]
Kirkup then took over as the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins women's soccer team from 1996 to 1998. During his tenure, Maryland reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 1996 and were Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) runners-up in 1997. He finished his time there with a 42–25–6 record. [4] [5]
From 1999 to 2003, he served as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks women's soccer team, compiling a 34–59–6 record and helping to guide the program through a competitive period in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He resigned in 2004. [4] [6]
Following his resignation from Arkansas, Kirkup returned to England, where he worked as a physical education and sports teacher at the Buckingham School and Taunton's College in Southampton. He also coached at the Southampton FC Academy. [2]
In early 2006, he was offered a position at the University of Florida by coach Becky Burleigh. At first, he was hesitant: “I was happy with what I was doing at the time back home,” he recalled. However, after visiting UF in February, he found the opportunity appealing: “February in England is miserably cold… So that was the bait that caught me. Burleigh explained what I would be doing and I was sold.” [7]
That June, Kirkup was hired by Burleigh as an assistant coach to replace the outgoing Danielle Fotopoulos. He was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2017 season. [8]
After retiring from collegiate coaching in 2021, Kirkup joined the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) as an assistant coach under longtime colleague Becky Burleigh, who had been named interim head coach. Burleigh and Kirkup were hired after previous head coach Marc Skinner and assistant coach Carl Green announced their departures. [9]
In October 2022, Kirkup was appointed women’s technical director for Lexington SC in Kentucky, a newly formed organization preparing to launch a pre-professional women’s team. He also served as the head coach for the club's USL W League squad. He was with the club until 2024. [10]
In 2025, Kirkup was named associate head coach for the Sporting Club Jacksonville women’s team of the USL Super League, serving under head coach Stacey Balaam. The appointment reunited him with former Florida Gators players and colleagues, among them Becky Burleigh. [11]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMU (Independent/Southwest Conference)(1986–1995) | |||||||||
| 1986 | SMU | 15–3–2 | – | – | – | ||||
| 1987 | SMU | 18–3–1 | – | – | – | ||||
| 1988 | SMU | 17–5–0 | – | – | – | ||||
| 1989 | SMU | 14–4–0 | – | – | – | ||||
| 1990 | SMU | 14–6–1 | – | – | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1991 | SMU | 10–8–0 | – | – | – | ||||
| 1992 | SMU | 15–6–0 | – | – | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1993 | SMU | 13–7–1 | – | – | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1994 | SMU | 10–9–1 | – | – | – | ||||
| 1995 | SMU | 23–1–1 | 5–0–0 | SWC Regular Season and Tournament Champions | NCAA Semifinals (Final Four) | ||||
| SMU: | 149–52–7 (.733) | 5–0–0 | |||||||
| Maryland (Atlantic Coast Conference)(1996–1998) | |||||||||
| 1996 | Maryland | 19–5–2 | 2–3–2 | – | NCAA Quarterfinals | ||||
| 1997 | Maryland | 12–9–3 | 4–3–0 | ACC Runner-up | NCAA 1st round | ||||
| 1998 | Maryland | 11–11–1 | 3–4–0 | – | NCAA 2nd round | ||||
| Maryland: | 42–25–6 (.616) | 9–10–2 | |||||||
| Arkansas (Southeastern Conference)(1999–2003) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Arkansas | 7–12–0 | 4–5–0 | – | – | ||||
| 2000 | Arkansas | 7–11–3 | 3–5–1 | – | – | ||||
| 2001 | Arkansas | 6–14–0 | 2–7–0 | – | – | ||||
| 2002 | Arkansas | 7–11–2 | 3–5–1 | – | – | ||||
| 2003 | Arkansas | 7–11–1 | 3–6–0 | – | – | ||||
| Arkansas: | 34–59–6 (.374) | 15–28–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 225–136–19 (.617) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| Season | Team | Overall | Standing | Postseason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington SC — USL W League (2024–2025) | |||||
| 2023 | Lexington SC | 3–6–1 | 3rd | Did not qualify | |
| 2024 | 4–2–4 | 3rd | Did not qualify | ||
| Total: | 7–8–5 (.475) | ||||
Kirkup has been noted by colleagues for his tactical knowledge and ability to teach the game. Florida head coach Becky Burleigh described him as “one of the best tactical minds” she had encountered and credited his approach to player development as a key asset to the Gators program. [8]
In 2010, Kirkup was featured in The Gainesville Sun speaking on his unique perspective as a native Englishman coaching in the United States. Ahead of a World Cup match between the United States and England, he described feeling torn between his country of birth and his adopted home, highlighting his insight into both soccer cultures. He was quoted as saying, "For me, it would probably be the best if the game ended in a draw. And I think the Americans would be happy with that as well." [12]
He is married to Anna; together, they have two children: Molly and Stephen. Stephen played lacrosse for the North Carolina Tar Heels [2]
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